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We need to pray for the overseas saints. We enjoy the Lord’s blessing, but we hope that the blessing we enjoy will extend to other places, not only to other places in Taiwan. The Lord has brought a good number of overseas saints to be perfected in Taiwan. We need to pray and ask the Lord to have mercy on them and to enable them to have a clear vision.
Often we may not be able to see a matter clearly, because we are not looking at it from a proper angle. For example, if we look at a house from different angles, we will see different views of the house. Furthermore, we can have one view from the front of the house and another from the back. If the angle from which we view a physical object is important, how much more important is it with regard to spiritual things?
Even though we can have different views of a house, these different views will not have much influence on us. However, in spiritual matters, our ability to clearly see depends not only on the pureness of our intentions but also on the depth of outside influence. We must admit that none of us is so strong that we cannot be influenced by others. Consequently, it is always difficult to discern things accurately. It is difficult to know which influence is wrong and should be rejected and which influence is right and should be received. Hardly anyone among us is so strong.
The factor that influences us the most is Christianity. According to my knowledge, the opposition of the Western missionaries against us is unprecedented. You may not be aware of this, because you may not have much contact with others outside of Taiwan. However, the strong and fierce opposition toward us is unprecedented. It is so strong that it has become condemnation. Such opposition may not come directly to us. However, just like radio waves are in the air, the opposition can reach many people.
It is easy for the overseas saints, especially those from the West, to contact opposition. This kind of spiritual radio wave can contact people at any time. We cannot say that people are so strong that they cannot be affected by opposition. Hence, we need to spend time to ask the Lord to cause the visiting saints, whether they are local, from Taiwan, or from the West, to receive mercy. This means that they would not be touched by any improper influence and that if they are, they would receive timely grace to have the proper discernment and be able to know which things to reject and which things to receive.
If a person receives mercy, he will see only positive things. If I am a person who has received mercy, when I visit a brother, I will see only a brother who prays because he loves the Lord. However, if I am not a person who has received mercy, I will see a husband who fights with his wife. It may be that they have never fought before, but on the day that I visit them, there is a fight. The fact that I encounter such a situation proves that I have not received mercy. It may be that the brother fears God and never fights at home. However, the fact that he fights with his wife on the day that I visit him shows that I have not received mercy.
If I witness a brother fighting with his wife, it will be difficult for me to believe that he lives in a godly manner. The fight will influence me to such an extent that even if he truly lives before the Lord, I will still be affected. This shows that I need to receive mercy. Some people receive mercy and always see the good and positive situations in the saints. This applies to what they see in the saints and to what they see in the meetings. When a person who receives mercy goes to a meeting, the meeting is good. However, this is not the case with a person who does not receive mercy; it may be that a brother stands up and gives a negative testimony. These matters are not under human control; they depend on God’s mercy. I hope that by the Lord’s mercy there would be no negative situations among us but that every situation would be positive.
Those who oppose us are not the only ones who have a negative influence on the visiting saints from overseas. It is possible that some of the saints among us or even those who are serving will be a negative influence. Many times the speaking, attitude, and expression of the saints give visitors a negative impression. We must take this matter seriously. When a person is pursuing spiritual things, he has tender feelings. If a person is not pursuing spiritual things, his feelings are dull, and he is indifferent toward many things. It does not matter to him whether a brother becomes backslidden. He has no reaction and even feels that it does not matter when a brother becomes lukewarm and loves the world, nor does it matter to him that a brother is living in sin. He has no feeling when others lose their temper or even when they are spiritual. Everything is the same to him. However, a person who has been touched by the Holy Spirit and has a desire to pursue the Lord will be “hot” inside and outside. This means that his feelings will be sensitive and tender. Those who know spiritual matters know how serious this is. They will not dare to carelessly affect a person’s spiritual sense.
One rainy day D. L. Moody had a gospel conversation with a woman. The conversation came to a critical juncture, and the woman was touched by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the conversation had come to the point that they were ready to kneel down and pray. Right at that moment a sister walked into the room and put down her umbrella. The noise from the umbrella interrupted the atmosphere, and the gospel friend lost her feeling to pray. Moody was unable to bring the conversation back to the point of prayer.
We may have had similar experiences. Such experiences prove that when a person desires God in his inner being, his feelings are very tender. Hence, we must realize that the saints who are visiting from out of town and those who are participating in the training have tender feelings. They will sense something that is even slightly wrong. The saints who have been here may not sense anything, but the visiting saints are full of feeling. Whatever situation they are in will form an indelible impression that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Hence, our attitude and our words are very important. For this reason we must pray much.
Recently, I have been considering the book of Job and the matter of help. There are different kinds of help. We cannot say that Job’s three friends did not intend to help him. They did not go to him with malice. They had a heart of love and wanted to help their dear friend. However, they were self-confident. They thought that they knew God, understood God’s logic, and knew God’s acts, ways, and principles in dealing with man. They told Job that if he put injustice far away from his tents, he would know God (22:23). They believed that they knew the way to know God and the principle by which God deals with people. They spoke concerning God out of their good intention. However, God said that the words spoken by Job and his three friends were without knowledge and darkened counsel (38:1-2). This is serious. It is not easy to receive help from others, and it is also not easy to render help to others.
When I speak to people concerning knowing God’s ways and knowing God’s principles, I am always full of fear and trembling. I fear that I would be like one of Job’s three friends. I often ask myself, “How can you be sure that the help you render to others is not like the help given to Job by his three friends? How can you be sure that your advice is not without knowledge and that it does not darken counsel?” This is indeed serious. For this reason I bear a very heavy burden. Many brothers and sisters will be coming from England, America, Canada, Denmark, and Japan. There will also be many Chinese saints from overseas. They will be here with a heart full of zeal and sincerity. They are coming from faraway places to see and to learn. Their inner being is fresh and tender, and they will be easily influenced. Hence, we must be careful concerning the impression they will receive while they are here. Of course, they also bear some responsibility. If they receive mercy, God will arrange for them to be in positive situations, but if they are not those who receive mercy, then God needs to be merciful to them. Nevertheless, we must be responsible for the kind of influence we have on others.
We cannot rest or be at peace and think that the adversary, who has been damaging the building up of the church for the past two thousand years, will cease his work. He will not stop. The authority of darkness will try its best to damage and to spread negative, dead, and inaccurate information. The enemy will try to blind the saints so that they are deceived into thinking that every situation is the same, and they will not receive mercy. Therefore, I am very burdened. We cannot govern or control any situation. We can only say that we need God’s mercy. We all should pray concerning this matter. We should also learn to have a serious attitude. We must be careful not to give the saints the wrong impression.
The saints who are serving are still passing through trials. For this reason many do not have a sense of freshness concerning spiritual matters, including their service and spiritual pursuit. This is something we all experience in following the Lord, because we all must pass through trials. The truths that we know need to be tested, our way needs to be tested, and our faith also needs to be tested. When we are saved, we sense the sweetness of God’s salvation, and our feeling is fresh. Furthermore, we have the full assurance that God exists, that the Lord is our Savior, that we have been forgiven of our sins, and that we have been regenerated. These things seem to be more real to us than physical things. However, we will eventually be tested. God will test us, and He will let us test His salvation. He will even allow us to test Him.
Every person who is saved has doubts concerning God. After I had been saved for some time, I was tested and began questioning myself. I asked whether I made a mistake in believing and whether God was dependable. Although I testified often concerning God’s answering my prayers, I still had questions concerning God, Christ, and salvation. I believe that every brother and sister has experienced this. Perhaps some are still on a “honeymoon” and have not had such a situation. Nevertheless, we all will pass through trials and experience a time of testing.
In many aspects we are different from those in Christianity because of our need to depend on faith. Our way is different from the way taken by those in Christianity, our living is different from their living, and the spiritual goal that we pursue is different from theirs. These three matters are rather serious. Our way, living, and pursuit differ from the way, living, and pursuit of those in Christianity.
Most people in Christianity believe in God’s existence, Christ’s redemption, and man’s salvation. In addition to this general faith, we have seen the way of the church. We are taking a way that is rejected by Christianity; hence, our way is different from theirs. This is the first difference. Next, we are living a life of faith. I can testify that we live a life that is simple, yet it is a life of uncertainty. We have no assurance of our future. We do not know how we will live next year. Even though we have no assurance concerning our future, we continue to live this way before the Lord. We are willing to live a life of faith because we know the object of our faith. We are here to please the Lord. Otherwise, we would not be able to live a life in poverty or simplicity.
Furthermore, we are pursuing to know the Lord and to allow Him to grow in us. We pursue to live in Him and to please Him so that when we see Him face to face, we will not be put to shame. However, most Christians do not have such considerations. They know that in their Christian life they should not commit sins, especially gross sins, and this is sufficient for them.
The way we take, the life we live, and what we pursue are all matters of faith. These matters cause us to go through trials so that we can know whether our way of faith, our life of faith, and our pursuit of faith are right. Some believers think that it is not necessary to have this kind of faith in order to be a pious Christian. They think that it is sufficient to pursue an overcoming life, growth in the Lord, and spiritual maturity. There are also believers who think that it is not necessary to live by faith or that it is wrong to experience poverty when serving the Lord. Even though such thoughts seem correct, intrinsically it is a matter of our attitude and our intention.
In 1935, after the first crisis in the church in Shanghai, I was tested severely with not only trials but also temptations. The church in Shanghai began meeting in 1927. In 1934 a crisis broke out, and all the burdens fell on my shoulders. I did not suffer because of the crisis, but I suffered because the senior co-workers, both brothers and sisters, all left Shanghai when the difficulties began. Consequently, the burdens and the situations that they left fell on my shoulders.
Even though I was thirty years old at the time, the entire situation fell on my shoulders, requiring that I deal with it. When I saw the situation, I could not but question the way I took and the object of my faith; I was tested. I asked myself whether this was the right way. I knew that I was called by the Lord, but was this the way to serve Him? At the time I felt that this way was extremely difficult. There was no one who could bear my burden or share the responsibility with me. I was tested. At the same time, the object of my faith was severely tested. I questioned why I should walk on this way, why I should serve in this way, why I should live in this way, and why I should pursue in this way. Every aspect of my being was tried. However, as a result of this testing, I decided, “Since I am a man, I must be a Christian, and since I am a Christian, I must take the way of the church. If I would not take this way, I would not be an absolute Christian, and if I am not an absolute Christian, I should not be a Christian at all.” My choice was clear.
I saw clearly that I could not shrink back, even though I had passed through many trials. As a conclusion I said, “If I am a Christian, I must be absolute to serve the Lord, and if I am one who serves the Lord, I must take the way of the church, live a life of faith, and have a spiritual pursuit. I cannot take another way, live another kind of life, or have another pursuit.” While I was passing through trials, I made up my mind that no matter how poor or how difficult my life would be, I would take this way. Even if others would not take this way, I would press forward and take this way.
In 1943 I was imprisoned by the Japanese army and entered into a very deep and dark valley of the shadow of death. It was an unprecedented time of trials. To this day I have not been tried in such a way. The livelihood of my family was in question. I was sick in bed and could not take care of my children; my family was in a destitute situation. On one hand, I was being tried, but on the other hand, I was testing this way. I doubted whether this was the right way and whether I was right concerning this way. Otherwise, how could I have been in such a situation?
During my years of service to the Lord, I have sensed the Lord’s presence. His presence was especially strong in 1942. At this time the church in Chefoo had a great revival, and the work was blessed. However, the trials that came in 1943 really caused me to question. One day as I was reading the Bible, I came across four small words that opened my understanding. In 1 Corinthians 4:11 the apostle Paul says, “Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked and buffeted and wander without a home.” I was very familiar with this portion of the Bible. However, when I came to the four words until the present hour, I received a fresh revelation and realized that I was taking the right way. The apostle said that he was suffering “until the present hour.” Could I expect less than the apostle? On that day in the winter of 1943, I put an end to my questions. From that day until today, for sixteen years, I have never tested this way again.
Many of you are passing through trials, and you are testing your faith. Your way, your living, and your pursuit have become trials to you, and you are being tested in these matters. During such times of trials and testing, we are not fresh. In our experience we enter into darkness. This darkness is not bad; it is good. There is bad darkness, and there is beneficial darkness. This is similar to death, which can be either bad or beneficial. The death we have in Adam is bad, but the death we have in Christ is beneficial. The Lord leads us through trials in which we experience darkness that is beneficial. As we pass through this darkness, we must learn the lesson of faith. Furthermore, we must also learn the lesson of mercy. While we are being tested, we must live more and more by faith. The more trials we pass through, the more we live by faith. We must also learn the lesson of not looking at ourselves but of boasting in the Lord’s selection and mercy. We cannot claim any credit for our standing before the Lord, because it is only by His mercy that we are still here. It is the Lord’s mercy that we have chosen to take this way and to have this living and pursuit. It is His mercy that enables us to make the right choice. Without His mercy, we would be like so many other people who have made the wrong choice.
It is not that we have foresight and therefore know what to choose. It is altogether of the Lord’s mercy that we can stand and continue on this way. The Lord leads us through trials so that we will learn lessons and so that we will know that everything is altogether a matter of faith and mercy. After the trials we will know that our relationship with the saints also depends on the Lord’s mercy, not on our leading or our labor. I cannot say that you are taking this way because of my leading. I may be able to lead you for a period of time, but without the Lord’s mercy, you will not remain on this way for the rest of your life. Whether or not you stay on this way will only be the result of receiving mercy. Even continuous contact will not ensure that someone will remain on this way. We may be able to encourage others to take this way through such contact, but this will not cause them to continue on this way. We must realize that the human hand is not able to restore a person who has a problem with this way. In the past we have not been able to help those who had problems taking this way, in spite of our attempts to help them understand. All our attempts at restoring people are useless. It is altogether a matter of whether or not a person receives mercy.
We must see that this way is entirely of faith and mercy. We should never think that this way is merely a matter of leaving the denominations. There is no position for those who take this way; moreover, those who take this way will be tested. Not only will we be tested, but this way will be tested by us. We have to test this way. It is not enough for others to lead us on this way, nor is it enough for others to contact us, because we will still be tested. I believe that many saints have been tried and that they also have asked whether this way is trustworthy and true and whether the Lord wants them to take this way or do something else. Those who are tested must live by faith, and they must receive mercy. After we are tested, we will be able to declare, “I will take this way. Whether or not I have companions to fellowship with, the object of my faith is directly related to me. Even if others do not take this way, I will still take it. I will not be influenced by others.” Only in this way can we pass the test and touch faith in simplicity.
Only those who know mercy can say that their taking this way is related directly to God and that even if the apostle Paul did not take this way, they would still take it. The saints who know mercy can say, “I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim. 1:12). We should never think that because we have heard this word, we must take this way. Only a handful of people are able to take this way. The way of following the Lord is in faith, and it is according to His mercy.
After we are tested, we will know when others have begun to take this way, how far they have gone, and whether they have been tried. We will know whether they are taking this way due to others’ influence or due to their relationship with God. Many people have taken this way because they were influenced and helped by others, but in the end they must have a direct relationship with God in order to remain on this way. Otherwise, they will not be able to continue without wavering. The only way is to learn the lesson of faith and to know mercy. There is no other way.
